“We will completely lift lockdown restrictions as of July 1”

Delivering remarks following the Presidential Cabinet Meeting, President Erdoğan said: 'We will completely lift lockdown restrictions as of July 1. The restrictions on music will be pushed to 24:00. Travel restrictions between cities and restrictions on public transportation will end.'

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered remarks following the Presidential Cabinet Meeting at the Presidential Complex.

'TURKEY HAS FULLY FULFILLED ITS RESPONSIBILITIES TOWARDS NATO'

'Turkey joined NATO, which was formed following the Second World War, as the 13^th member right after the 12 founding members. Our country became a member of NATO to fight against the threats it was faced with while also making a new choice in a vast area ranging from democracy to economy. Turkey, which has the 2^nd largest army in the alliance after the U.S. and the most critically strategic location, has fully fulfilled its responsibilities towards NATO so far,' President Erdoğan said.

'As the world is faced with such critical challenges as regional crisis, terrorism after the Cold War and more recently the pandemic, the importance of the spirit of alliance and solidarity, upon which NATO was built, has been observed once again. It is a fact that NATO has not been able to display its position as a reliable umbrella in the face of the events that took place in our environs in the past 10 years. NATO has not been able to display the strong will, which was expected of it, in a number of dire issues from Iraq to Syria, from Palestine to Libya, from Crimea to Karabakh,' President Erdoğan stated.

Noting the increasing demands for NATO to assume more active responsibilities in the face of global challenges, President Erdoğan said: 'In this regard, we value the NATO 2030 process, which constitutes the roadmap for the next 10 years of the alliance. During the talks we had at the summit, we shared with our counterparts that the NATO concept, in terms of its military and political aspects, should be redeveloped in accordance with today's conditions and our expectations. We emphasized the spirit of solidarity and alliance while also bringing once again to our counterparts' attention our countries priorities with regard to NATO's areas of responsibility, particularly the fight against terror. We clearly expressed on all occasions that the good terrorist-bad terrorist distinction, which we saw some NATO members made, reflected a wrong, dangerous and crooked understanding.'

'ONLY TURKEY TRULY AND EFFECTIVELY FIGHTS AGAINST DAESH'

'We reminded everyone that only Turkey truly and effectively fought against DAESH, which was seen as the most important problem of the alliance in Syria. We told them that we deported nearly 9 thousand foreign fighters, and banned over 100 thousand people from entering our country. We determinedly reminded that Turkey would never allow the efforts to form a dangerous structure across our southern borders through another terrorist organization,' President Erdoğan said.

'We highlighted the importance of the support and security Turkey provides to nearly 9 million refugees within and outside its borders. We told them that we expected a more sincere and stronger contribution in this matter,' President Erdoğan underscored.

'We brought to our counterparts' attention the initiatives we took to ensure that peace and stability prevailed in such regions as the North Africa, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Caucasus, and also the successes we achieved. It was seen once again during this summit that a NATO without Turkey would have difficulty in maintaining its existence, let alone preserve its current strength. We underline once again that we expect an approach from NATO and the allies befitting our country's significance and contributions in all areas,' President Erdoğan said.

BILATERAL TALKS ON THE MARGINS OF THE NATO SUMMIT

Pointing to his talks with the leaders of various countries on the margins of the NATO summit, President Erdoğan noted that all the meetings took place in a positive and constructive atmosphere.

On his meeting with the U.S. President Biden, President Erdoğan said: 'We mutually expressed the known problems between our countries and reiterated our positions. Also, we exchanged views in a comprehensive and productive manner regarding our future areas of cooperation. During our bilateral and interdelegational meetings, my counterpart and I agreed that we did not have any issue that could not be overcome, on the contrary our areas of cooperation were much wider and profitable,' President Erdoğan said.

'We are determined to turn this nice climate we achieved with Mr. Biden into maximum benefit for our countries by strengthening our channels of dialogue with the U.S. on all levels,' President Erdoğan said, and added: 'We believe we will find a solution to the problematic topics between us in time in accordance with our mutual concerns and expectations.'

'Turkey's only demand is respect for its sovereign rights in all political and economic areas and support for its fight against terrorist organizations inside and outside its borders. On this condition, we stand ready to establish and develop close relations of alliance with every country, including the U.S.,' President Erdoğan said.

Noting that the relations Turkey established with states were not an alternative to others, President Erdoğan said: 'On the contrary, we see all our pursuits of cooperation as complementary to one another for ourselves, our counterparts, our region and the entire humanity. In this spirit, we believe we have ushered in a new era with the U.S. on a positive and constructive basis.'

'ON OUR WAY TO SHUSHA, WE SAW THE DESTRUCTION CAUSED BY THE OCCUPATION AND WAR PERIOD'

Recalling his visit to Azerbaijan following the NATO summit, President Erdoğan noted that he met with President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan in Baku, and then they drove to Shusha with their delegations, and said: 'On our way to Shusha, we had a chance to personally see the destruction and suffering caused by the occupation and war period. We saw that during the occupation period that lasted nearly 30 years, not a single thing was built in Karabakh and the usurped Azerbaijani lands, and the already existing heritage was loutishly destroyed. We saw how everything was destroyed and burned down. I hereby call on the world, especially the West, to come and see Karabakh. The Minsk Trio should come and see these places.'

Applauding the efforts to rebuild the area and the infrastructure, President Erdoğan said: 'New roads and tunnels are being built. The urban and production infrastructure is being rebuilt. I believe the landscape in this area will completely change in a year at the latest. I saw this determination, this conviction in Mr. Aliyev.'

'TURKEY IS DOING EVERYTHING IT CAN TO HELP OUR AZERBAIJANI BROTHERS TO RETURN HOME'

'As Turkey, we are doing everything we can to help our Azerbaijani brothers and sisters, who have for years longed for their homeland, to return home as soon as possible, and will continue to do so. We are taking measures in line with the one nation/two state spirit in order to ensure that our Azerbaijani brothers and sisters do no suffer such tragedies ever again and to revitalize Karabakh. With the Shusha Declaration we signed and announced to the world with my brother Aliyev, we have ushered in a new era in our relations. Within the framework of this declaration, Turkey and Azerbaijan will sign numerous agreements soon, and thus further consolidate the legal basis of our brotherhood. We will determinedly and swiftly put into action every topic on our agenda from rapidly opening our consulate general in Shusha to making the Zangezur Corridor operational as soon as possible.

'WE ANNOUNCED IT TO THE WHOLE WORLD THAT WE WILL STAND BY AZERBAIJAN'

On Wednesday, I was a guest of the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan. During this visit, when we re-experienced, so-to-speak, the joy of victory with the deputies over there, we announced it to the whole world that we have and will always stand by Azerbaijan. What the Karabakh victory means for Azerbaijan and the region will better be understood in the years ahead. This, inshallah, will be the place where the games of those, who have made the world a tool for their political and economic ambitions, have been foiled.

Should it seize the opportunity, Armenia will be one of the top beneficiaries of the restoration of peace and stability in the region.

On the same day, I came together with a group of our soldiers on duty in the region. In the evening, I left Azerbaijan for Antalya after watching the Turkey-Wales football match. The sincere affinity our Azerbaijani brothers and sisters have shown us during our two-day stay has made us very happy. Together, we will inshallah turn this process into the start of a new era in the Caucasus.

My august citizens, the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP), the term presidency of which we assumed for the third time, convened for a summit meeting in Antalya on Thursday. This meeting, attended by eight heads of state and government as well as 15 representatives of various levels from Southeast Europe, is of special meaning in that it marked the 25^th foundation anniversary of the SEECP.

The Cooperation Process is a unique formation which brings all of the 13 countries in the region together around the same table. We are of the belief that this structure, which has been playing an important role in the settlement of the political issues in the region through dialogue since its inception, should further be improved. It is us that lends the broadest support to the projects executed in a manner that is compatible with the importance Turkey attaches to peace and stability in the region.

During the meeting, we discussed many issues of shared concern to us ranging from Belgrade-Sarajevo Highway to migration and the pandemic.

We are glad to see that the efforts for Turkey's exclusion from the region through the Western Balkans concept, which the EU has come up with during the expansion process, are not embraced by the member states. With the thought that there are no problems among us which we, as the member states, cannot solve within the framework of the principles of regional affiliation and inclusiveness, we have been working to consolidate the environment of cooperation. I hereby thank all the guests who participated in the meeting.

ANTALYA DIPLOMACY FORUM

On Friday, I attended the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, which I believe will turn into an important brand of our country in the international arena. The Forum saw a high level of and huge participation despite the many problems caused by the pandemic. 11 heads of state and government, 45 ministers of foreign affairs and other areas, officials from nearly 60 international organizations, businesspeople, academics and NGO representatives exchanged views during 25 separate activities. I congratulate all, especially Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, who have contributed to earning our country and Antalya this meeting, the most comprehensive one held after the outbreak of the pandemic.

In the opening speech of the Forum, I stated that the magnitude and diversity of the problems faced by the world have further increased the importance of international solidarity and cooperation. This fact has once again been proven by what has happened during the pandemic. The fact that protectionist and competitive policies have come to the fore instead of cooperation in the face of such a vital crisis, which threatens the whole humanity, constitutes a crooked situation that should thought about in depth.

The need for the restructuring of the global, political and economic system has become a current issue yet again during this process. We reiterated in the Forum our proposals for a structural transformation which we have been voicing for a long time with the motto, 'the World is bigger than 5.'

Behind the axis discussions about our country lies the indigestion among some circles caused by the language and practices of human-oriented diplomacy we have adopted. We, nevertheless, will continue on the path we consider to be right, demanding what is the most auspicious, the fairest, the most equitable, and the best for ourselves, for our friends and for the whole humanity. As one of the countries that have the longest-standing state tradition, thereby the longest-standing diplomacy culture of the world, we will continue our struggle in a manner befitting us in the geographies that are of priority to us.

I believe that the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, with its structure that embraces politicians, academics, NGOs, business world and the youth, will play an important role in setting the direction for the global system.

THE NUMBER OF VACCINES WE HAVE ADMINISTERED THUS FAR HAS APPROACHED 43 MILLION DOSES.

'The number of vaccines we have administered thus far has approached 43 million doses. We have administered the largest number of vaccines in proportion to population in the past week in the world. We will continue the vaccination drive, which we have recently lowered to age 30, at the same pace. We aim to open the vaccination to all aged over 18 years in a few weeks. Thus we would like to ensure that Turkey will be one of the countries which get over the pandemic crisis first and with the least hardship. Even though the problems in the world will go on a little longer due to the new variants of the virus, Turkey will inshallah get through this period successfully,' President Erdoğan said.

On the measures against the COVID-19 pandemic, President Erdoğan said: 'We will completely lift lockdown restrictions as of July 1. The restrictions on music will be pushed to 24:00. Travel restrictions between cities and restrictions on public transportation will end.'

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.